Pandora Hearts
by Ruko-Sempai and Riko-San
Summary: After being taken from school and forced into being a Turk, Claire Lovelocke, host of the demonic entity Isa, begins a new life. As the only Turk with supernatural experience, she embarks on many paranormal missions, from ghost pranks to the wrath of Bloody Mary. With the demons responsible for her mother's death coming for her, can a certain Turk keep her from pulling the trigger?


Chapter 1: Trapped

_"The world is garbage!" -Sho Minamoto, World Ends With You_

My fingers trembled as I struggled to dial the right number. I shivered as I clutched the phone near my ear, huddling as close as I could to the phone booth. Snow fell heavily from the sky like tears, covering the concrete in a white blanket. The cold penetrated my clothes, making me go almost numb. My uniform had been torn and was blood stained from the constant battles, my injuries stinging from the ever falling snow. I wouldn't last long in this condition, but I had to hear his voice. Even if it was the last time I'd ever hear it.

It was few moments before I heard his voice on the other line. _"Hello?"_

I swallowed, "..Hey."

His voice was suddenly more alert. _"Claire? Where the hell are you?"_

I was about to answer when I heard whispers behind me. They were horrifying whispers, ones that sent chills up my aching spine. I pressed up against the booth as if it would shield me, my heart hammering in my throat and tears spilling over my cheeks. "I-I can't tell you. They found me...I'm surounded."

_"Tell me where you are. I'll come get you; I'll fight off the monsters."_

"I don't think I'm going to make it..." I choked out quietly, my vision obscured by my tears, which were flowing freely now.

His voice, which had before been concerned, was now filled with panic. _"Claire, you _are_ going to make it! Please, just tell me where you are!" _He suddenly sounded desperate, so desperate it hurt just to hear him, _"Please...Please don't do this, Claire. I love you too much to sit back and do nothing. Tell me where you are!"_

No matter how much I tried, I couldn't repeat those words to him. My breath caught in my throat, and I couldn't speak. Fearing that I'd miss my chance, I said, "...I'm sorry."

_"**Claire**-!"_

I hung up the phone. My chest tightened in pain and I winced. Turning to face the demons, all twisted and bent into unrecognizable beings, behind me, my fists clenched so tightly my knuckles turned white with the effort. I could barely see straight, my head light, my body aching. I ignored the demons and tilted my head, watching the snow fall, contrasting greatly with the dark navy sky. Closing my eyes, I sucked in the fresh air, icy and rigid from the winter weather. If this was the last time I'd ever take a breath, at least I had made peace with him, with everyone. That was all I needed to do what I had come to do. All I needed to end it all. I'd been fighting this battle for almost twelve years, and now it was time to end it.

My fingertips brushed along my side, feeling the cold metal of the weapon clasped to my waist. Something told me to stop, to think it through, to turn around and call him, tell him where I am. But I couldn't. My fingers wrapped around the handle of the ShinRa-issue handgun. Suddenly my breath hitched, making me jump as I lifted the gun. I felt the metal press against the bottom of my chin, just inches from my throat, cold and merciless. A voice shouted angrily in my head, its voice hoarse as it screamed, begged, at me to stop, but I ignored it. This had to end now. I quickly sucked in breath.

I pulled the trigger.

* * *

(Three years earlier)

I stared out the school window at the cars that passed by, watching as they came and went. It was raining in thick silver sheets again, the third time that week. The rain made the small town I'd been brought up in seem dreary and dim, like an old dingey dishcloth. My school had been located on a hill over-looking the town, the small houses forming a thick circle around the main plaza below, like a fairy circle of some kind.

I heard giggles behind me as something hit me in the back of the head for the seventh time that day. A little voice whispered angrily in my mind, but I ignored it, tapping my finger nail against my desk as the teacher went on and on about the day's lesson. Something else hit me in the back of the head, and from the sharp pain that came with it I guessed it was a small thin booklet. The little voice huffed and whispered, irritated that I wouldn't do anything to stop the teasing. It didn't matter anyway; the only way to stop the teens who thought they were normal from picking on me was to scare them, and I wasn't in the mood to cause a scene.

Looking back, I guess that was the day my life changed. When those two cops walked in with black suits, guns, and handcuffs, some how I knew they came to take me. At the time, I didn't know where. I thought that maybe I'd have a better life with them. Now I know better.

Everyone was silent, even the teacher, as the two men looked around the room. Their uniforms were strange, not something a cop would usually wear. The first man to speak was Wutian, his black hair hanging long. His ivory skin almost looked tan against his suit. Brown eyes scanned the room carefully, as if looking into everyone's souls. When his spoke, his voice was cool, and sent shivers down my spine. "Claire Lovelocke, you're under arrest. Come with us."

Everyone fell silent. After a moment, someone screamed.

I don't know why I stood and walked to them. I had never attempted to hurt anyone, though I had thought about it plenty of times, with good reason, too.

When I was six, my parents and I had gotten in a car wreck. A drunk driver ran the red light and crashed right into the side of our car. My dad had been banged up pretty bad, but my mom didn't make it. I don't remember much from before I woke up in the hospital, but Dad told me that the other car hit the side Mom and I were on, and that was why everything hurt and I couldn't see her. Later on, when I got a bit older, I learned that Mom died on impact, and I would've died too if Isa hadn't kept me breathing.

Anyway, after the crash, strange things started happening. At the time, I thought it was an imaginary friend because it had all the qualities of a friend; it was always there to play with me and whisper to me. Growing older, I named it Isa, and it was my best friend. However, Isa scared my Dad, so he took us to a doctor who said that Isa was a demon who'd taken me as a host when I was in the hospital. That was why I kept breathing when I wasn't supposed to.

Isa wasn't always my friend. Sometimes he would move things without my permission, and it freaked everyone out at school. When the bullying started, Isa tried to attack people, but I wouldn't let him.

The man with red hair smirked at me as he reached around and cuffed me. I'm not sure why he didn't just have me turn around to make it easier, but then again, I wasn't really sure why I was arrested in the first place. His red hair was incredibly bright, making his striking green eyes almost glow. From the way his suit was sloppily hanging off him, I could tell he didn't care much for the way he presented himself. He was tall and lanky, almost as skinny as I was, but it was obvious that he was well toned. I could almost see the girls in my class sighing in adoration. I had to admit, he _was_ cute.

Not that I'd be interested in a guy like that.

"Alright, yo," The red-haired man said, his lazy voice holding a bit of amusement in it, "Be a good girl and come with me."

Holding my arm, he took me out into the hallway, where he made me face the wall. The other man, who must have been the leader of the two, was in the classroom. I heard him talking to the teacher, but I couldn't make out any words.

"Why am I being arrested?" I asked the red-haired man.

"Well," He answered, "we heard a little rumor that there was a demon host in this school."

I froze; no one outside of town knew that what I was. So how...?

The man continued, "You see, we can't just let something like that go unnoticed. So, we decided to pay a little visit."

"Where are you taking me?" I asked after I found my voice. My heart began to beat faster and faster as I started to panic.

"Reno," The other man said, walking into the hallway, "Take her to the car. Make sure she doesn't escape."

Reno nodded. "Got it, boss."

I could feel Isa growing anxious, which made me scared. What was even more terrifying was that I realized that these guys weren't cops. They were Turks.

There was an old saying that everyone knew; better to have been hunted by a Kalm Fang than by a Turk. They were officially called the Department of Administrative Research, but everyone knew better. Turks were monsters, killers in black suits with no emotions. To them, a killing a child was just as easy as killing a criminal. No one met a Turk and lived to tell the tale. They were the people who were sent when things went wrong. ShinRa's lap-dogs.

The ShinRa Electric Power Company was the reason our world was in the sorry state it was in. The reason it rained every other week, why people were dyeing of an incurable sickness that spread like wildfire. Seven years ago, one of their experiments went crazy and tried to destroy the planet. Luckily, a group called Avalanche finally took him down a few months ago. Ever since the world started to recover, ShinRa had begun to rebuild itself slowly, trying to get on people's good side.

It didn't make sense, though; why were they arresting me? A sickening thought hit me like a bag of rocks. ShinRa was infamous for its experiments. They used Mako, the life force of the planet, to enhance their creations. Monsters, humans, animals, it didn't matter as long as it was breathing.

Sephiroth was the company's biggest success, the perfect soldier, and he was actually a good guy. When I was little, he and some others visited the town to get supplies and medical help. He was polite, but didn't talk much, and he almost never changed the stoic look on his face. At the time I had no idea that Sephiroth would be the monster who tried to kill us all.

This realization almost made me puke. My heart was beating out of control, my chest seizing up as I was lead to the elevator. As we waited for the doors to open, I took a breath to calm myself down, though it didn't work. "Isa, you gotta get me out of here," I whispered quietly, hoping and praying that the demon would listen to me for once.

"Did you say something, yo?" Reno asked, turning to me. I shook my head. He stared at me for a moment before asking, "How old are you, anyway?"

"I'm seventeen. What about you?"

Reno grinned. "Eighteen. You're pretty short for your age."

"Not I'm not. You're just tall," I protested.

He snorted, "Yeah right, Short-stuff."

"I'm not short!"

"Just get in the elevator," Reno laughed.

I did as I had been told, flicking my eyes to the corner of the small space. To my relief, Isa was there, though Reno didn't see him.

Isa was hard to describe. It was like I could see him, but I couldn't make out his facial features. He was just...there. Whenever I would try to look at his face, my eyes seemed to bounce away from him, like a force field around his face or something.

The elevator doors closed and started to move down. My chest had grown lighter. I could feel the blood begin to drip from my nose from the fight I had gotten into earlier. I tried to hide it while Isa waited for a moment to strike, but Reno glanced over and saw the blood.

"Hey, are you alright?" He asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine," I lied, wiping the blood away with my sleeve.

At first I thought there was no way he'd believe me, that he'd see what was going on and knock me out. Luckily, Reno just shrugged and turned back to the door. I debated whether to knock him out or, better yet, have Isa possess him.

Isa, like every other demon, could take over people, but there was a certain thing a person had in order to be possessed. They had to be afraid because fear is the strongest weakness a person has and a certain level of that fear makes it easier for demons to enter their body. In a way, fear was the strongest weapon at my disposal, and I used it with great energy.

Just looking at Reno told me he wasn't anywhere near afraid of me, despite knowing the damage I could do. This troubled me; he seemed pretty confident that he could control the situation, but why? It seemed a little arrogant to guard a demon and his host all alone. And why was I arrested, anyway? I hadn't done anything serious, considering most of the accidents I had in the past were Isa's fault, so why was ShinRa after me? My stomach dropped as I remember what I realized before.

I felt my stomach do flips, my breakfast threatening to come up my throat. My chest started to seize up, making Isa whisper to me angrily to calm down. I forced myself to take deep breaths. If I got too stressed it'd hurt Isa and he'd get mad; then all hell would break loose.

That was how strong the connection between Isa and I was. My stress level effected him; likewise, his stress effected me. When he was free to roam, Isa could only go a short distance away before it put a strain on me. So, in short, we were practically two souls, two minds, and two beings, all in one person.

There was always the option of knocking Reno out and making a run for it as soon as the doors opened. But if ShinRa knew what I could do, they wouldn't send just two Turks. There was probably another two or so waiting for us.

The elevator slowed to a stop, the doors opening slowing. Sure enough, there was a female Turk standing in the lobby. She had short blonde hair, and stood straight and alert, her honey brown eyes scanning over me carefully. There was a handgun strapped to her side.

"Yo, Elena," Reno greeted, nodding to her as he dragged me out of the elevator.

Elena gestured to the blood that was dripping from my mouth. "Is she okay?"

"Yeah, I guess."

The female Turk frowned and stepped forward, taking a napkin from her pocket and wiping the blood from my face carefully. This simple action seemed so out-of-place, so inappropriate for a Turk, someone who spilt more blood than the most extreme killers. In that moment, I found a weakness, a crack in the woman. Isa whispered to me mischievously.

Elena walked over to Reno and began to speak. It seemed as if she was scolding him. Reno pouted like a child, making me scoff. This guy couldn't seriously be a Turk. As the two spoke, I watched Elena, who kept glancing at me. There was a small hint of anxiety in her eyes that was hidden behind her stoic expression, making me almost sigh in relief. Even a little fear gave us the upper hand. It'd be better to use Reno, since he was probably stronger, but beggars can't be choosers, and I was running out of time.

"Isa, you know what to do," I whispered as quietly as I could. I felt a sharp pain in my head as he obeyed my order.

"Well, we should g-" Elena suddenly stopped in mid-sentence, gasping as Isa took over. Her entire body seemed to shudder.

"Laney? You alright?" Reno stepped forward but stopped as Elena shook violently. I saw his hand reach for the metal rod clasped to his side.

Elena turned to me. Her honey eyes had turned completely stark white, which told me that Isa was complete control. Reno frowned, suddenly on full alert, "What the hell?"

I winced as another pain shot through me, "Isa, hurry!" I said to him, grabbing my wrist as my arm went numb. It felt like needles were pressing into my skin.

Elena reached down and unclasped her handgun. She lifted it, her face blank and cold, a mirror image of Isa's.

"Tseng!" Reno said as the other Turk from before ran over, "Something's wrong with her."

Tseng turned to the young woman, "Elena, lower your gun this instant. That's an order!"

I coughed, covering my mouth. When I looked at my hand, it was covered in blood. I swore, wincing. It'd only been two minutes since Isa possessed her, but I was almost at my time limit. It was too risky to stay any longer. I had to make a break for it before I passed out.

I turned and started running to my left, making a beeline to the double doors. My leg gave out and I stumbled, almost falling, but the adrenaline pumping through my body kept me going. There was shouting behind me and I felt someone grab my arm. "Oh, no you don't!" Reno grunted as he pulled me back. I struggled to get out of his grip, but he was too strong. I kicked back at him, hooking my leg behind his and throwing him off-balance. Both of us went down in a tangled mess of arms and legs. Reno slammed into the floor first, a sickening crack echoing from his right shoulder. I fell next him, wincing as the cold tiles pressed into my cheek. He was quick to entangle himself and shoved his metal rod near my neck, electricity popping dangerously.

"Alright," He said, "Let Elena go!"

My chest felt constricted, making it harder to breathe. I blinked as my eyesight grew blurry, tunneling. I was almost at my time limit.

Elena lifted the gun, pointing it at Reno. As her finger touched the trigger, I coughed up blood, my vision fading completely. If I didn't call him back, I wouldn't survive. "Isa!" I choked out, blood spraying across the floor. Almost instantly, the female Turk sucked in air, her eyes returning to normal before collapsing like a house of cards. Her gun fell from her hands, clattering against the tile floor.

Fatigue hit me hard, and I passed out.

* * *

Tseng caught his comrade, lowering her to the floor. "Elena!" She didn't respond, her eyes remaining closed as if she were asleep. Tseng looked over to where Reno was leaning over the demon host, Claire.

"The girl's out, yo," Reno informed, nudging the demon host with his foot, "How's Laney?"

Tseng checked Elena's vital signs. She was breathing, and he could feel her pulse faintly, but steadily. "She's fine. What about the target?"

"Well, she's alive, I think. That trick must've done a number on her, though."

Tseng sighed in annoyance. The file had said that the demon was aggressive, but he hadn't expected the host herself to act.

Claire Lovelocke didn't have much on her record worth noticing, so it was surprising that she would do something so risky.

Reno reached down and picked up Claire, slinging her carelessly over his shoulder. "Be careful," Tseng warned, "We need her alive."

The younger Turk waved his warning away, "Yeah, yeah, I know."

After cleaning up the blood on the floor, they made their way to the car, Tseng carrying Elena and Reno carrying Claire. Luckily, there was no one in the school's lobby, so they had no trouble along the way. Tseng agreed to drive, since there wasn't much hope that they'd get back to the ShinRa building in one piece if Reno drived. And, as a precautionary measure, Claire was in the back seat with Reno, who had his weapon, an Electric-Modified Rod, charged up and ready to put a little over fifty watts in her body if she woke up and caused any trouble.

The EMR could easily produce way over eleven hundred watts, but unless the host possessed anyone else, there was no need to use enough electricity to power a small house.

As they drove, Reno kept a close eye on Claire. She was still out cold, her head leaning against the window. Her long bangs hung in her face, making it difficult to see her facial features. There was blood on her school shirt from before, the red contrasting greatly with the white fabric. Her long brown hair was pulled over one shoulder. Her sleeves were rolled up, revealing her bare arms. Something on the inside of her right wrist caught his eye.

"Hey, Tseng," Reno asked, since Tseng was the only one who actually read the file, "whats with the tattoo?"

Tseng didn't answer. Reno almost repeated himself, thinking the man hadn't heard, when the head Turk spoke. "That's not a tattoo. It's a scar."

"In the shape of a cross?"

"The villagers weren't pleased when they learned what she was. They tried to exorcise her."

Shaking his head, Reno tapped his EMR lazily against his knee, listening to the electricity crack. Thanks to the Mako in his body, he could barely feel the electricity run through his body. He was growing incredibly bored sitting there, without anything to do. It was gonna be along ride.

* * *

A loud noise made my eyes snap open. I cringed at the harsh light hanging overhead, my head throbbing. Ignoring the ache growing in my head, I sat up, making my back pop with the effort.

I was in a room that I didn't recognize. It was almost completely bare, except for a desk, a chair, and the bed I was on. As I looked around, the chair near the desk rose from its position and was slung at the door by an unseen force, crashing against it loudly. Isa was freaking out, his normal whisper growing into a high-pitched squeal, like nails on a chalk board. I clamped my hands over my ears, trying to block out the sound only I could hear.

"Isa!" I almost yelled, "_Shut Up!_"

The sound stopped, allowing me to lower my hands. "Jeez, what's with you?" I asked, not at all feeling crazy for talking to someone who wasn't physically there. Isa didn't answer me, just circled the room over and over as if he couldn't sit still. My wrist was beginning to burn, and I rubbed it for comfort. The door knob turned, my attention turn from Isa to the door as it opened.

A man wearing a white suit walked in, his head held high. He had short blond hair and cruel blue eyes. I didn't recognize him, but I saw the woman named Elena and the man named Tseng standing close to him and it became clear who this man was; Rufus ShinRa, the president of the ShinRa Company.

Growing up, my mind was trained to automatically watch and analyze the movements of the people I came into contact with, reading their personalities based on how they carried themselves and the way they talked. This way, I could store the information in my mind for later use. Rufus presented himself well, sharp and precise like a knife. His face was stoic, but the look in his eyes was arrogant and clever. This man was not someone to mess with. I stood to my feet as he spoke.

"It's nice to finally meet you, Miss Lovelocke," He greeted, as if it were a planned meeting, "I'm sure you're wondering why you were brought here."

"I have a vague idea," I replied, glancing over at Isa, who remained in the corner. Rufus followed my gaze, though he couldn't see the demon that stood so close to him.

Rufus looked back to me and smiled strangely, like he was pleased that I could see something he couldn't. "I've heard a lot about you and your...'friend', Miss Lovelocke, and I'd like to see a display of your abilities." The arrogant look in his eyes grew. He wanted me to show him what I could do.

* * *

Rufus watched the demon host tense.

"I don't have any abilities," Claire said quickly, "You'd be lucky to see anything."

She was strange-looking, just as her file had said. Everything else appeared normal, but her eyes were a different story. They were light blue, with strange wisps of silver. Her eyes made it seem as if she were staring intensely, her gaze cool and detached, yet hard and threatening. They were darting all around him, and from the information in her file, Rufus knew she was analyzing and memorizing his every movement.

Rufus couldn't believe how lucky he was; Claire Lovelocke was indeed a powerful host, whether she knew it or not. She'd make an excellent addition to his 'collection'. "Miss Lovelocke, I'd like to try something," Rufus said, motioning to Tseng to lift his gun. Tseng hesitated, confused, but did as he was ordered. Claire's strange eyes widened and she backed up a few steps. "Now," Rufus explained casually, "let's test that theory of those abilities of yours. Tseng."

Tseng glanced at Rufus before placing a finger on the trigger. Claire held out her hands as if they could stop whatever happened. "W-wait! You can't do this!"

Rufus crossed his arms. "Oh?"

"This is murder!"

"Well, we won't have that problem if your 'friend' comes to your rescue, would we?"

"You'll be to blame!" Claire stated boldly, "After all the shit you put the planet through, the people won't think highly of you after they hear of what you did."

Rufus tensed; she had hit a vein in his plan. However, he quickly found a way to overcome that problem. She wasn't the only one quick on their feet. "If you fail to show me your abilities, Miss Lovelocke, my Turks will simply clean up the mess. Whats one less issue in the world, anyway?" Claire started to panic, glancing between Tseng and Rufus. Tseng quickly pulled the trigger.

Claire screamed and stumbled backwards as the first bullet barely missed her by inches. She fell on the floor and scooted back as far as she could get, shaking as tears streaked her face. Rufus nodded and Tseng shot several more bullets. Claire brought up her arm to block.

"Isa, I need you!" She screamed.

Rufus was confused about who she was talking to, but it all clicked into place as the bullets harmlessly fell to the ground a few feet from her. They seemed to just drop from thin air. A smile crossed the President's face. Claire's eyes widened even more, if such a feat was possible, as she realized what she had just done. He turned away from her. "I'll see you tomorrow, Miss LoveLocke. We have much to discuss," Rufus said, walking out and leaving the crying girl to shake and tremble in the corner.


End file.
